


clinquant

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergence, Character Study, Colors, I really don't know, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Kinda, M/M, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, but only at the end, i can't tag, mostly - Freeform, or write summaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-02-12 00:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12947181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: clinquant -(adj)glittering with gold and silverKeith lived in a colourful but monochrome world, if that made sense.Until he met Lance.[or]A collection of first-times for Keith, and one last-time.[or]Keith experiences many first-times with Lance, and seeing colour is just the first.





	clinquant

**Author's Note:**

> I promise this is better than the summary>.<
> 
> This is my first work on this site, so if there are any mistakes, feel free to tell me!
> 
> There's a trigger warning which is also a major spoiler, so if you are likely to be triggered, read the notes at the end first.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> p.s. this is not beta'd(idk) so do point out any mistakes if you spot them. Thanks!

 

* * *

_Look at the stars_

_look how they shine for you_

_and everything you do_

_Yeah, they were all yellow_

* * *

 

Keith had never noticed color.

He wasn't color blind, no, but to him, colors were just there, part of the background and scenery.

And so, actually seeing color for the first time in his life felt like he was being reborn, like his vision was exploding into light, he saw the universe as how it really was, mysterious and seemingly never-ending, free from the cruel war that raged on. 

Keith noticed the way Lance's azure eyes lit up, like the sun glinting in the ocean he loved so much, Keith noticed the way they darkened as he peppered kissed along his jaw, murmuring sweet nothings into the intimate hours of the night.

 

It was beautiful.

 

* * *

  _So then I took my turn_

_Oh, what a thing to have done_

_and it was all yellow_  

* * *

 

The first time Keith saw Lance, it was like a scintilla of color seeping through into his monotonous life.

And for the first time in a year, he thought that maybe he would have a friend, at most, someone to talk to after spending the months alone in his shack.

Not for the first time, things didn't turn out as he planned.

Lance had proclaimed Keith his "arch-rival" - he didn't even remember him from the Garrison - and went on to tease Keith at every chance he got.

But Keith couldn't bring himself to hate Lance, the most beautiful thing - person - in his dull world.

The first time Keith held Lance in his arms - after the explosion that got the latter heavily injured protecting Coran - and Lance turned to him and said with that tired but blinding smile,"we did it, we _are_ a good team," Keith knew he was in love.

 

* * *

   _Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones_

_turn into something beautiful_

_Do you know, you know I love you so?_

_You know I love you so_  

* * *

 

The first time Keith tells Lance he loves him, Keith had just been attacked by a malfunctioning training bot, and the latter had almost been sucked into space. 

He's leaning against the wall and staring at Lance with his mind going _oh god he's beautiful_ when the words come tumbling out of his mouth.

"I love you." 

Lance turns to him with an indescribable look - probably mortified because that's what Keith is feeling - and Keith contemplates taking the words back with some half-assed excuse when he hears the words being repeated.

"I love you too."

But there isn't time to react before they realize the castle is malfunctioning and are called to duty once again. 

Things are awkward between them for the rest of the day, Keith deciding to take a break from training to listen to Pidge ramble on about the technology and the Galra crystal that had caused the castle to malfunction. But Keith doesn't comprehend what Pidge is saying, his mind a blur from all the thoughts running through it.

It takes them a week to finally talk about it, when Lance comes to Keith first. 

 

Keith never understood happiness.

He never understood why people would strive for happiness in their short lifetimes, when everything was temporary and would eventually fade.

Until Lance came along, sweeping him off his feet and making him fall head over heels in love with him, planting a seed of something indescribable in Keith.

Keith never knew one person could make such an impact.

 

The first time Keith went on a date, it was a candlelight dinner in the holodeck with Lance - it could hardly be called candlelight - a soft blue glow emitted by the castle walls surrounding them. 

It was not very romantic, with Lance making the occasional lame joke or pick-up line and Keith shooting them down snarkily.

It was the happiest Keith ever felt.

 

The first time they kiss, it's after the Trials of Marmora, and it was almost ethereal - sure, he had a couple of flings during the year he spent in the shack, but none felt like this - like the ocean breeze on a warm day, like the wind whipping through his hair as he sped along deserted roads, like the stars, oh, the beautiful stars that surrounded them.

The following kisses tasted the same, and Keith was falling, falling, falling, falling for the boy and his ocean blue eyes all over again. 

 

* * *

  _I swam across_

_I jumped across for you_

_Oh, what a thing to do_

` _cause you were all yellow_

* * *

 

"We're not going to make it."

That was the first time Keith heard Lance so hopeless, and his heart clenched.

The rebels' gunfire wasn't strong enough to break the shields, and Keith could hear increasing panic over the comms. 

Especially after he threw his incredible idea out there to Matt and every goddamn rebel.

Keith knew he would be lying if he said he had been thinking solely about how _the mission was more important than the individual,_ it was a war, he knew he couldn't, _shouldn't_ , get attached - he was quite good at pulling off all that no-strings-attached shit - but after months of living in the same castle with six other people (both human and alien), it was almost inevitable.

Especially one particular boy, former Paladin of the Blue Lion, current Paladin of the Red Lion. The boy who had been his right hand when Shiro was missing, _the one he fell in love with_.

Not to mention, thousands of planets, Blades and rebels.

One for millions of lives.

These thoughts spurred Keith on, encouraged him to accelerate forward towards the shield, blocking out Matt's screaming through the comms, ignoring his pounding heart.

But Lotor gets there in time and destroys the shield and Keith pulls up just in time, his heart pounding and the words _I'm alive I'm alive_ repeating in his head like a broken recorder.

He'd never seen Lance look so relieved.

 

* * *

  _And you know,_

_for you I'd bleed myself dry_

* * *

 

 _This is it_ , Keith thinks amusedly.

There were many chances when he could have died; The Battle of Naxzela, that time when the castle malfunctioned, countless battles and missions with the Blade of Marmora, etcetera.

He never imagined that he'd leave while bleeding out into the snow, his blood tainted the pure white with crimson.

 _Much like how I taint everything I touch_ , Keith muses dryly.

He can hear the Paladins screaming for Keith over the comms, and he resists the urge to tell them to shut up.

He watches as the crimson spreads through his Blade of Marmora suit and through the snow, and _fuck_ it's starting to snow again.

And suddenly he's being jostled and hisses because _it hurts_ , and he's staring up into those ocean blue eyes that he loves so much. 

Keith forces a smile on his face.

"Took you long enough, cargo pilot."

Lance shakes his head, creases appearing on his forehead(Keith wishes he had the strength to smoothen them out) and desperation creeping into his voice, he wipes the snowflakes starting to gather on his face.

"No no no, Keith, we're gonna get you to a healing pod, _you're gonna make it_."

He lets out something that sounds similar to a laugh, Lance is too hysterical to take note anymore, and Keith feels something drop onto his face and slide off, _was that a tear_?

Lance shakes his head again, and lets out a chant of," no, no Keith, you're fine. You're gonna make it."

Keith just smiles sadly, and Lance understands. 

He expects Lance to be more dramatic, to start wailing his name and what-not, but he just whispers,"I love you."

_I love you too._

The last thing Keith sees is blue.

 

* * *

  _look at the stars_

_look how they shine for you_

_and all the things that you do_

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> T/w: major character death
> 
> Well, that was short>.< TBH it felt quite rushed heh.
> 
> Do comment, any feedback is welcome!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [The lyrics are from the song Yellow by Coldplay]


End file.
